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Bob Downie (geomannie@mastodon.scot)'s status on Saturday, 11-Apr-2026 08:24:04 JST Bob Downie

I have just re-read The Fifth Elephant by #terrypratchett & was a bit embarrassed to say that on my first reading I had missed that a main feature of the story is a parody of the theft and return of the #Scottish Stone of Scone, aka Stone of Destiny, rendered by #Pratchett as the Scone of Stone. As in life & in the book, is the recovered stone/scone real or a fake, & more importantly does it actually matter? The symbolism is the thing.
#discworld https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_of_Scone
In conversation about 3 months ago from mastodon.scot permalink
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  Stone of Scone
  
  The Stone of Scone (; Scottish Gaelic: An Lia Fàil, meaning Stone of Destiny, also called clach-na-cinneamhuinn; Scots: Stane o Scone) is an oblong block of red sandstone that was used in the coronation of Scottish monarchs until the 13th century when it was seized by Edward I during the First War of Scottish Independence and taken to England. Thereafter, it was used in the coronation of English and later British monarchs. It is considered an ancient symbol of the Scottish monarchy and the Kingdom of Scotland, with its first recorded use being in 1249 for the coronation of Alexander III of Scotland. The Stone measures 26 by 16+3⁄4 by 10+1⁄2 inches (66 cm × 43 cm × 27 cm) and weighs approximately 336 lb (152 kg; 24 st). A cross is roughly incised on one surface, and an iron ring at each end aids with transport. Monarchs sat on the Stone of Scone itself, until a wooden platform was added to the Coronation Chair in the 17th century. The artefact was originally kept at...
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  Bob Downie (geomannie@mastodon.scot)'s status on Saturday, 11-Apr-2026 16:46:12 JST Bob Downie
  - Infoseepage
  @Infoseepage Your point about Ted I being slipped a dummy is quite possible, but if the symbolism is the issue it doesn't matter if most people think it is the "real" stone.
  Regarding the footprint at #Dunadd, this is truly a fake. I'm a geologist & on my first visit I looked at it & realised that the stone around the impression didn't match the surrounding rock. I took my hand lense & realised it was a man made composite. The original is said to be below. https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/12357773.coronation-stone-not-all-that-it-appears/
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    Coronation stone not all that it appears
    
    An ancient Scottish coronation stone has been exposed as a fibreglass fake.

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